Back to 1984: Earning Money, Raising Kids, and Keeping the Household Busy

Lin Qin? Liu Yongguo frowned subconsciously, momentarily stunned upon hearing the name, then his expression turned grim. "You went and provoked her?"

Ever since Lin Qin went crazy and caused a scene, her personality has changed drastically and she has become uncontrollable. They have clashed with Lin Qin several times but have never gained the upper hand. In Liu Yongguo's mind, Lin Qin is the nemesis and disaster of the Liu family.

Upon hearing this, Liu Li became even angrier. "Why can't I mess with her? Who does she think she is? If it weren't for her, our family wouldn't be in this state! She should have just obediently divorced him back then, and she would have been unable to hold her head up for the rest of her life. But she insisted on resisting. What a despicable woman!"

Liu Li's rant grew increasingly vicious, and even the police officers nearby couldn't stand it anymore. They spoke up to stop her, impatiently telling Liu Yongguo, "She's beyond redemption. Given that she's been in here repeatedly with all sorts of bizarre reasons, we won't let such a habitual offender off easily this time. You can go now."

Liu Yongguo was shut down before he could even plead or say anything conciliatory, and could only leave with his head hanging low.

Ma Cuihua wasn't surprised at all by the outcome, but she beat her chest in regret, "It's all my fault! If I had been stricter with your sister back then, perhaps she wouldn't have become so spoiled, willful, and rebellious!"

Liu Yongguo asked expressionlessly, "Are you still cooking lunch?"

To entertain today's guests, Ma Cuihua went to the street early in the morning to buy a lot of fish and meat, as well as rice cakes that her family usually couldn't afford to buy.

Ma Cuihua was also undecided, so the mother and son decided to wait for someone to come to their door before making a decision.

They waited until 1 p.m., but the person didn't come. Instead, Liu Yongming returned first.

As soon as he entered the door, he questioned Ma Cuihua in an unfriendly tone, "Mom, what exactly happened to Liu Li? I went through so much trouble to get her out, and I repeatedly told you to keep a close eye on her, and what happened? It hasn't been long, and she's back in! And at such a crucial time! Is she trying to drive me crazy?"

Liu Yongming's temples were bulging with veins from anger, making him look quite frightening.

Ma Cuihua was startled, feeling guilty and aggrieved. "How can you blame me? I also want her to marry well. I kept an eye on her every day those few days, and even locked the front door, just in case she ran away. But I can't lock her up forever! I opened the door yesterday evening so she could go to the street to buy some things to dress herself up. Today we have guests at home, so I can't keep the door locked."

I just went out to buy groceries, and she ran off right after. Not long after, I heard she'd been arrested. I'm furious! Second brother, the customer you mentioned still hasn't arrived. What's going on?

She spent the whole morning thinking about how to fool them and get past this hurdle, but none of the prepared excuses came of use.

Ma Cuihua's words only made Liu Yongming angrier. His eyes turned bloodshot, and he roared and jumped up and down, "They already know what Liu Li did. No matter how I explain, they won't listen. They even scolded me, saying I had bad intentions. Her own marriage is off, and I've lost my chance to be transferred back!"

From the moment he was assigned to that impoverished village, not a day went by that he didn't think about being transferred back. He finally managed to get to know a few city leaders by pulling strings, being humble and flattering them.

As long as Liu Li's marriage is secured, the other party will lend a hand out of consideration for their in-law relationship, and his transfer back will be completed. At such a crucial juncture, Liu Li actually messed up, she is simply hopelessly stupid!
"Ah? How could this be so serious!" Ma Cuihua was greatly shocked, feeling dizzy and almost unable to stand.

Seeing the mess in his house, Liu Yongguo was also furious, so he immediately told Liu Li about what had happened.

"It's all Lin Qin's fault. If she hadn't been so petty and targeted my younger sister, she wouldn't have been arrested. It's just a bag of oysters, how much is it worth? Why does she have to be locked up for ten days or half a month?"

Upon hearing this, Ma Cuihua exploded, her voice suddenly turning shrill, "That bitch Lin Qin, I'll fight her to the death!"

Liu Yongming was furious, but he didn't stop Ma Cuihua.

They just watched helplessly as Ma Cuihua rushed out.

Liu Yongguo wanted to intervene, but because he disliked Lin Qin and also wanted to get revenge, he didn't go out.

The two brothers sat in the main room, waiting for Ma Cuihua to return in triumph.

More than an hour passed and Ma Cuihua still hadn't returned. Just as Liu Yongguo was about to lose his patience...

Grandma Liu from next door rushed over and banged on the door, "Jianguo! Something terrible has happened, your mother is in trouble!"

The two brothers' expressions changed, and they both got up to open the door.

Grandma Liu was a little surprised to see Liu Yongming there, but she didn't ask any questions. She just said anxiously, "Your mother is fighting with an old lady at the seafood shop. They've started a brawl. Don't let it get out of hand!"

The two brothers were shocked and quickly gave chase.

When they arrived at Wenjun Seafood Wholesale Store, they saw Ma Cuihua lying on the street, her face bruised and swollen, crying loudly. A crowd of onlookers had gathered around her, but no one went forward.

The seafood restaurant was closed and not open for business; it was unclear which group had assaulted the people.

The two brothers quickly helped Ma Cuihua up.

Liu Yongming glared angrily at the people around him, demanding, "Who did this?"

No one said a word, and the onlookers, worried about getting into trouble, dispersed.

Ma Cuihua cried so hard that tears and snot streamed down her face. "That damned woman! I'm going to fight her to the death! Waaah!"

Seeing that Ma Cuihua looked so miserable, Liu Jianguo quickly told Liu Yongming to take her to the hospital for a check-up and then call the police.

Unexpectedly, the other party had already called the police, claiming that Ma Cuihua had started the fight.

Because of Ma Cuihua's advanced age, the police did not take her to the police station.

After a long day of commotion, the Liu brothers were exhausted, both physically and mentally. They had also spent money on Ma Cuihua's medical treatment, and they were so tired that they couldn't even muster up any more hatred.

At this moment, Liu Jianguo became even more convinced that Lin Qin would bring misfortune to the Liu family. For the first time, he sternly warned Ma Cuihua, "Mom, don't go near Lin Qin anymore. She's a jinx. Whoever gets close to her will be unlucky. Liu Li is like that, and so are you. Don't forget what you've learned!"

Having suffered so much, Ma Cuihua dared not refute, and could only accept it despite her resentment.

Liu Yongming, on the other hand, was not happy when he learned that Lin Qin was not only living a good life but had also given birth to a son for another man. His desire to return to the city grew stronger.

After thinking it over carefully for two days, he brought two bottles of good wine to the government compound.

Liu Li was released in less than half a day.

When she saw Liu Yongming waiting outside, her brows furrowed instinctively. "Second Brother? You came back in person to save me?"

Liu Yongming nodded, and seeing Liu Li's smug expression, he immediately pulled her aside, pointed to the four-wheeled car diagonally opposite, and said, "See that? Want to ride in it?"

Liu Li's eyes lit up, and she nodded vigorously.

Liu Yongming's lips unconsciously curled into a smile. "If you want to ride there, then go ahead. That's a good match your second brother found for you. Just look at that car; you can tell they're powerful and influential. Once you marry into that family, you'll never have to live a hard life again. And you can buy whatever you want. There's only one thing: you have to be obedient and well-behaved! As long as you behave and don't cause trouble, you'll live a good life." (End of Chapter)